


James of Vulcan

by AvadaGreenEyes



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: AU, Jim is raised by Vucans, Starfleet Academy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 18:35:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21257771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvadaGreenEyes/pseuds/AvadaGreenEyes
Summary: Wherein Jim is raised by the crew from the NX-01, among Vulcans.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, everyone. This work started as a rewrite for another work of mine, "Made of Stars" but I loved the idea so much I decided to make it its own thing instead of a rewritten version of another universe. Both are in the AOS, but with different childhoods for Jim. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

On January 4, 2233 (2233.04) the Federation starship  _ USS Kelvin _ was attacked on the edge of the Klingon Neutral Zone by an advanced Romulan ship. Captain Robau takes a shuttle to the enemy ship, identified as  _ Narada _ , and is killed in action. Of a complement of 1,000 crew and passengers, roughly 200 are killed - this number includes, of course, the Captain. Among the 800 survivors are the XO’s wife and recently born child. Lieutenant Commander George Kirk lives long enough to name his child Jim (James Tiberius), before he flies the  _ Kelvin _ into the side of  _ Narada _ , severely damaging the Romulan ship and sacrificing his life.  


Once on Earth, the 800 survivors are given pins the size of an old Earth quarter, which identifies them as survivors of the Kevlin Attack. The pins become common knowledge, and are often used as a form of identification for the masses. All the surviving crew and civilians are given a pin, including 1-month old Jimmy Kirk.  


Winona, the grieving widow, is too distraught to properly care for her two sons. She refuses to care for her newborn baby boy, and similarly refuses to look at her 4-year old son George Samuel Jr., who looks very much like his late father. Luckily, George adores his brother even if he misses his daddy, but is too young to properly care for him. When this news reaches the Admiralty, the old crew of the  _ USS Enterprise _ (NX-01) is furious. Admirals Reed, Archer, and Phlox are too busy to care for children, however, and they have no case. Things remain this way for a year.  


On January 10, 2234 (2234.10), Lieutenant Commander Christopher Pike is back on Earth, and discovers how Winona has been treating his godsons - he sues for custody of his boys, and wins the case. He cannot care for the boys, however, if he is to be sent out for space postings. Most recently, his next assignment is to report to the  _ USS Lexington _ , as the XO under the command of Captain Robert April, which comes with a promotion to Commander. Unsure of what to do, he asks Admirals Reed and Archer, his superiors. Eventually, it is decided that 5-year old George Samuel will live with his Uncle Jim on Tarsus IV, and little 1-year old James will go live with Commander T’Pol on Vulcan.  


Living there from such a young age, Vulcan is Jim’s default language, though T’Pol has chosen to raise him bilingually. He is a bright boy with a high IQ, and has trouble sitting still for more than 20 minutes at a time, unless partiularly invested or adequetly distracted. Meditation and reading seem to work the best, but his mind is always moving very quickly, more often than not solving complex mathematical equations.  


He keeps in touch with Chris (father) , who comes to visit when he can, but they mostly share monthly comms. Jim calls T’Pol  _ ko-mekh _ , which she allows. He homeschools at an accelerated rate, surpassing most of his Vulcan age group in his brilliance. By the age of 12 he is enrolled in a distance learning program with a University and submitting thesis and essay to the Vulcan Science Academy. 

When Jim is 13, he goes to Tarsus IV to live with Hoshi Sato and meet his Uncle Jim (George, 17, has moved back to Earth for university). Jim is only meant to stay for 3 months, and Hoshi has agreed to help him learn more languages, chief among them Klingon and Japanese, possibly others depending on his proficiency. He makes a promise to call his  _ ko-mekh _ every other Saturday. He misses their third comm appointment, and then their fourth and fifth. Worried (though she would never admit that, of course, worrying is illogical), T’Pol tries to contact the government on Tarsus. When she cannot get anyone to answer on any frequency, she alerts Jon and Malcolm, followed by a call to Chris.  


Upon his XO’s request, Captain April agrees to divert the  _ Lexington _ to the Tarsus IV colony. When they arrive, only 200 of the original 8,000 colonists are left. Nine of these 200 are children, living in the caves and led by Jimmy Kirk. They are all greatly malnourished and fearful of adults, and Jim is mostly glued to Chris’ side. Slowly, Jim opens up, and is introduced to Lieutenant Montgomery Scott, who encourages his interest in physics and engineering.  


When Jim and T’Pol are reunited on Vulcan two weeks later, she allows his public displays of emotion by clutching at her and crying into her stomach. Quietly, she holds him and when he grows exhausted, leads him home. Acknowledging his trauma, she informs him that if he struggles with it, she will not be displeased if he chooses his human emotionalism over the Vulcan calm and logic he used to conform to. He compromises by being Vulcan calm in public, logical more often than not, and allowing himself mild emotionalism in their home. (He finds that this free emotionalism honestly helps him retain his Vulcan calm, and informs his  _ ko-mekh _ of this development post haste. In response, she is freer with her praise and small smiles, but is careful of anything more.)

At 15, Jim earns his first PhD, a doctorate of Literature, which has qualifications on both Vulcan and Earth. Their uncle having died on Tarsus, his brother George remains the only other Kirk. Getting his mother’s permission, he travels to Earth in search of his brother. Except, when Jim finally finds his sibling, George Samuel is now Georgia Samantha, 19, and attending Ole Miss as a Junior. Sam is excited to see her baby brother in person, but cannot live with him during the year. She does, however, give him the spare key to the farm she has inherited from George, and helps him find a shuttle ticket to Iowa.  


Riverside welcomes him home, the prodigal son. Jim takes classes online at Iowa State University of Science and Technology, aiming for a dual PhD in Physics and Electrical Engineering. When he’s not doing work he helps out around town, spending most of his free time at the garage or learning practical information and skills from the workers at the Shipyard. (Jim completes his degrees at 18, and starts working part-time between the garage and the yard.)  


When he is 19, Chris, now a Captain, finds Jim at a bar in Riverside, not far from the shipyard. Chris convinces him to enlist in Starfleet, but soon has to go back up as Captain of the  _ Lexington _ . (Chris does spend a lot of time excitedly telling Jim of his amazing crew, of the XO he’s kind-of-sort-of in love with and this Vulcan kid who really needed to loosen the stick up his ass.)

With his prior education, Jim is able to test out and challenge many of the lower-division courses at Starfleet Academy. He now has three PhD’s, speaks seven languages, and is flight rated. He chooses to major in Diplomacy and Tactics on the Command track, but pulls enough credits for a minor in Xenolinguistics. (He still prefers the hum of a working engine to flowery language, though.) He hopes to be a Captain someday, seeing the stars.  


He graduates at 21, three years after entering the academy. He is granted the rank of Lieutenant Commander upon graduation, joining a small club of officers who can say the same. He has been awarded an Advanced Tactical rating, earning a Palm Leaf of Axanar Peace Mission, a commendation for Original Thinking, and a Starfleet Medal of Valor. He served as the treasurer to the Xenolinguistics Club, was an active member of the Chess Club, and was a TA for both the Advanced Hand to Hand class and the Introductory Vulcan courses. 

\---

S’chn T’gai Spock, son of Sarek of Vulcan, House of Surak, is 3 years older than Jim Kirk. He joined the Academy as a cadet at the age of 18 rather than attend the Vulcan Science Academy. Jim was 15 then, and Spock graduated at 22, the semester before Jim started. Spock is awarded the rank of Lieutenant upon graduation, and is given a position on the  _ Lexington _ as Gamma Shift Science Officer and works in 4 of the 10 labs on board. By the time Jim graduates, Spock has been promoted to Lieutenant Commander and been made third in command, immediately following Number One (Commander Robbins) in the chain of command.  


When Jim graduates, he volunteers to work as a Professor at the Academy, taking over two language courses - the equivalents of Vulcan and Klingon 101 - an engineering course, Advanced Hand to Hand, and helped out around campus on an as needed basis in the Computer Programing and Advanced Tactical divisions. He even teaches one segment of Federation History occasionally, whenever Tarsus IV comes up. (He still comms his  _ ko-mekh _ every other weekend, and has not broken this routine since his return from the colony. T’Pol does not admit to looking forward to these comms from her  _ sa-fu _ , but he knows anyway. He has always been able to read her very well.)

That same year, Hikaru Sulu becomes a first year Cadet at the age of 17. He needs help with this Hand to Hand, which requires time that his instructor just does not have. Jim agrees to help him, teaching him a mix of martial arts and boxing. In return, the Cadet teaches him how to fence and how to fight with a katana. They learn knife throwing together.

When Jim is 22 and in his second year as a Professor, Chris returns dirtside. Number One has been promoted to Captain, taking the  _ Lexington _ for herself. Chris was rewarded his service with the Command of the ‘fleet flagship, to be named  _ Enterprise _ , NCC-1701. He brings Spock with him, now a Commander, and promotes him to XO and Chief of Science. Jim is asked to be Chief Tactics and third in command, which he happily accepts. Jim is promoted to Commander. 

Chris becomes busy with work for the  _ Enterprise _ , but works as a recruitment officer when he can. Spock has chosen to work as the Head of Computer Programming, and teaches Advanced Vulcan and Introductory Romulan. Usually, he would take more classes, but he has much work to do for the  _ Enterprise _ , and goes on recruitment trips with Chris and Jim. (He is man enough to admit, at least in his mind, that he enjoys their company and listening to their father-son banter, and is relieved to be able to converse rapidly in Vulcan with someone who would understand him and return the favor. Sometimes, it was tiring to translate everything from Vulcan to Standard.)

It is 2255 when they recruit Pavel Chekov, Nyota Uhura, and Dr. Leonard McCoy. Chekov is 14 and technically too young to join the academy, but Spock offers to sponsor him in; meaning, Spock now acts as his  _ in loco parentis _ , and the Academy can actively complain to him about this Cadet outsmarting his Professors. (Jim and Spock both spending the weekend learning Russian (the Central dialect), to make life easier for this boy.) The child easily tests out of the first year of classes, and will be able to graduate in three years in 2258.  


Nyota Uhura is 18 and  _ very  _ good at languages. Her native tongue is Swahili, though she speaks all the African dialects, as well as Standard, French, and Mandarin. They desperately need a linguist of her caliber in the ‘fleet, and she seems excited enough to be learning alien languages and helping people, so she agreed to enlist. (It turns out she took most of the first year courses and electives at her local University while in high school, so she will be graduating with Chekov in three years.)

Lastly, Dr. Leonard McCoy is a functioning alcoholic (which Spock hates), but Jim and Chris understand when they found out why. Losing most everything he had (including his practice and frequent contact with his little girl), they convince him to join Starfleet to give him a purpose again, and offer him the use of their JAG offices to get him joint custody, if that is his wish. (He signs up immediately, and actually seems to enjoy his time at the Academy, for all his gruff nature is at odds with that.) McCoy is immediately conscripted into the Medical College as an already licensed and practicing doctor of Medicine and Psychology. (He does take classes, however, which include the GEs, few command courses, Vulcan Language, and just about any science course that will work for medical that has the word Xeno- in it.) This works for him, considering he is older than all of his classmates, and will graduate in three years, class of 2258, at the age of 31.  


And so it went, Chris and Spock and Jim slowly and carefully building the perfect crew for the flagship  _ Enterprise _ , providing input to the systems, engines, layout, and overall operation for  _ their ship _ .  


And all was well. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vuhlkansu = English/Standard
> 
> ko-mekh = mother  
sa-mekh = father  
sa-fu = son


	2. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The First Meeting

**2255**, (Jim → age 22; Spock → age 25)

When Chris introduced Jim and Spock for the first time it's a wonder they don’t kill each other.

Spock is near immediately annoyed with this Terran who has the audacity to call him illogical about his unemotional continence _ in his mother tongue _ , and Jim is offended that Spock isn’t even bothering to try to know him before writing him off as a lost cause. It is _ infuriating _ , and Chris admits to being a little amused, but lost as to how to fix this.

He calls for backup, in the form of Vulcans and Number One.

Spock is somehow the only member of his nuclear family who had never met Jim, and is the most stubborn person Chris has ever met. So, he convinces the two to meet him in his office on campus, where he promptly connects a vid-call to Sarek’s house in Shi’Kar, where they are greeted by T’Pol, Amanda, Sybok and Sarek.

Spock is, unconsciously, near to gapping, his eyes wide at the sight. Jim, on the other hand, snaps his spine straight and throws up a ta’al, greeting them.

“_ Dif-tor heh smusma, ko-mekh, kevet-dutar _ , _ Okosu _ Amanda, _ Ossasu _ Sybok.” This snaps Spock out of his shock, but makes him more confused than ever. On screen, Ambassador Sarek looks as severe and calm as ever, though T’Pol has allowed her eyes to twinkle with unexpressed humor, while Amanda and Sybok offer them small smiles. Spock offers a ta’al and a nod to those gathered.

“Come now, James, we’ve been over this - you need not use my title unless the situation demands it.” Admonishes Sybok, whose familiarity with the infuriating human is confusing to Spock. His mother reminds Kirk of the same.

Jim, amused, responds only with a nod in the healers direction. He does, however, turn his attention to Chris. _ “Sa-mekh _, what is the meaning of this?” Instead of Chris, however, Amanda speaks up. 

“Christopher called us in need of help, you see. You have both agreed to help him command the _ Enterprise _, but in order to do so you must have a positive rapport with each other. You both work well, separately, with Christopher, born from knowledge and experience. However, everytime he attempts to make you work together, you devolve into nit-picking and bickering. Thus far, his only successful attempts to get you to behave like adults is having Captain Robbins glare you into submission.”

In the back of the room, the aforementioned Captain Robbins raises an amused eyebrow. She hadn’t been aware she had been the only one successful, though she wasn’t particularly surprised - both boys were terrified of upsetting her in any way.

“Indeed, Amanda is correct. Therefore, Christopher contacted us, your family, in an effort to help you pass this misunderstanding.” Finished T’Pol. Spock, still thoroughly confused, only allows a slight furrow of his brow. Jim bows his head in acquiescence. 

“Ambassador, what say you?” Jim asks politely.

“It is only logical,” Sarek begins, “that we start at the beginning. What sparked the first argument?”

“I do not know what triggered the argument on your sons part, _ oveh _ , but upon our introduction I proceeded the same as I have in the past with all Vulcans I have met - I offered the ta’al, greeted him in _ Vuhlkansu _ , and offered him my name, as we will be working in close quarters under _ t’nash-veh sa-mekh. _ I do not know why, but he stiffened and acted dismissive towards me. I can infer no reason as to what in my actions may have afforded this reaction, but I assume he saw some offense in my words.” Jim responded. His response was long, but he believed it only logical that he give their jury all the information as he knew it.

Across the table, Spock was attempting to mask a glare, the tips of his ears a light green color. Sybok sighed and covered his eyes, but Amanda frowned at her son. Before more could be said - or perhaps Spock would try to defend himself - Sybok broke their silence.

“Can I safely assume then, James, that you reacted unfavorably towards his dismissal?” Chris snorted from behind him, but T’Pol answered for her son.

“_ Fai-tor t'nash-veh sa-fu u' muhl u' nash-veh tor, au kesik afer-tor ish-veh sa-kai _ attitude offensive _ , _Sybok.”

“_ Ha, ko-mekh.” _ Amanda, analyzing the boys in front of her, had a leap of intuition.

“Though I can fathom no reason why, Spock likely thought you were taunting him, or something similar, by choosing to use his culture over what he perceived to be your own. Did you not inform him of your circumstances?” Blushing lightly, Jim rubs the back of his neck in embarrassment.

“No, I did not. Prior to our first meeting, Chris sent me his personnel file, and assured me he did the same to Spock with my file. He suggested I read it before our meeting, so we would not be working purely on rumors and conjecture. This was only logical, and so I read the file. My error was in assuming that, as a Vulcan, Commander Spock would return the favor and take the logical approach.” Jim fell silent, and refused to speak more. 

The four on the screen turned as one to look at Spock, one eyebrow raised in query each.

“I admit, I did not read Commander Kirk’s personnel file prior to our meeting. I was busy, and did not have time to indulge in such a thing. I believed myself capable of putting aside what I knew of his reputation and resolved to make no assumption. Though I am still unsure as of why, the...way in which he spoke, the tone he used, reminded me of the children I...disagreed with at the learning center and so, illogically, I have treated him the same as I would them. I _ still _ have not read the Commanders file.” Of the four, Sybok has the most emotional reaction of pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes. Amanda frowns, once again, at her son, wishing she were on Terra in order to handle this problem. Though Sarek and T’Pol show no emotion, Jim can see small glimmers in their eyes - Sarek disappointed, and T’Pol pained.

“Also,” Spock adds, reluctantly, “though he might not have meant it, I heard him mutter something I perceived to be negative about my lack of emotionalism.” It is Jim’s turn to frown now, but when they turn back to him, all he can do is shrug. 

  
“My first impression of him was that I thought it odd to see the Vulcan mask so tightly wound up, as I have have known Miss Ama and Healer Sybok for years, and also heard of stories second hand from them about the Commander. While I do not recall _ voicing _ these thoughts, even in a mutter, it is entirely possible that I in fact did so, and did not realize. My apologies.”

“That aside,” Sybok inserted, “Spock mentioned a tone? Perhaps he is referring to the chosen dialect and grammar.” While Chris and Spock both seem confused by this, the other parents immediately understand (among their number Captain Robbins, who had known Jim for years and regarded him fondly).

“Ah.” T’Pol said quietly. “While I might be a Vulcan of some note for serving with the first _ Enterprise _ , the crew of the NX-01, I have always been a member of a lesser house, even being allied with the House of Surak. As such, the first dialect Jim learned was that of what Terrans may call the ‘commoners’ tongue. While he is capable and knowledgeable with all forms of _ Vuhlkansu _ , this is his default, and would have used the grammar of a lesser Vulcan speaking to a Superior. If these...children were of the same background, being of lesser houses, the grammar, dialect and tone would have been the same.”

Clapping once, Chris gave a small smile. “Great, while that is settled, it should be easier to get rid of miscommunication.”

“You are correct, Christopher.” The Ambassador said. “Spock, if you have not yet realized, you and James have quite a few things in common that will serve to make your working relationship easier.”

“And,” Amanda continued, smiling, “one of those things were your childhoods. You were both raised on Vulcan, by one Vulcan and one Human parent. You both have older siblings who emote freely. Spock, you went through the _ kas-wan _ twice, at 7 and 10 - Jim had to experience his own _ kas-wan _, though unwillingly and lasting at least one month in duration. “

“Now,” Sybok finished, “something you should know is that I have, technically, been Jim Mind Healer since he completed his _ kas-wan _ . Though he was primarily raised with the calm of Vulcan logic, he struggled to maintain it after his ordeal. Together, T’Pol, Jim, Chris, and I agreed we would try emotionalism, little and often. It worked well for him, and by being able to freely emote (if he felt it necessary) in the privacy of his room or home, he could better control his Vulcan calm and live logically in public. This is also how _ I _ maintain my Vulcan calm, though I am sure you would disagree.”

“Lastly,” T’Pol begins,”though this may not yet apply, there comes a time when a Captain has to decide just how much he trusts his first officer. Christopher and Captain Robbins are now married. As Christopher becomes your CO, he has trust in both of you separately, and together. If you cannot trust one another, James and Spock, your command team will fall apart, and negatively affect your crew. You must discover just how much you trust each other.”

“We must depart now.” Sarek chimes in. “So we will leave Christopher and Captain Robbins to chaperone you.”

Raising a ta’al, the four echo _ “Dif-tor heh smusma,” _ Spock and Jim responding in kind with a unified “Peace and Longlife”.

The remaining four in the Captain’s office let the silence echo for a few minutes before Number One stands and stretches a bit, turning to her boys.

“Well,” she says. “Let’s settle this over dinner, shall we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dif-tor heh smusma (greeting; live long and prosper), ko-mekh (mother), kevet-dutar (Ambassador), Okosu (nobility; Lady), Ossasu (nobility; Lord), sa-mekh (father), t'nash-veh (my/mine), Ha (affirmation; yes), oveh (honoured one). 
> 
> Fai-tor t'nash-veh sa-fu u' muhl u' nash-veh tor, au kesik afer-tor ish-veh sa-kai attitude offensive , Sybok. (If I know my son as well as I think I do, then likely your brother thought his attitude offensive, Sybok)
> 
> The kas-wan is a coming of age tradition on Vulcan. At the age of 10 a group of children will be taken to Vulcan's Forge and left to disperse and survive the best they can for ten days with no help. Often, it is a time to meditate and reflect, but you must also eat and drink if possible - as the Forge is a desert this is difficult, especially because they do not hunt animals (at all).

**Author's Note:**

> Vuhlkansu = English/Standard
> 
> ko-mekh = mother  
sa-mekh = father  
sa-fu = son


End file.
